Are digital amps better?

[Trey803 5,000+ posts]

"Digital" (class D) amplifiers use a technology that produces a sine wave with the peak and the trough cut flat. So if you use it for full range audio there will be audible distortion compared to other designs. However, the boards are designed so they draw less current so they don't get hot or require as heavy a power feed. They are ideal for powering sub woofers because at those frequencies the human ear cannot discern the distortion in the sine waves.

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[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

well, here is a very useless link:http://www.ehow.com/video_2385216_digital-analog-car-stereo-amplifiers.html

somewhat painful to watch...

Oh dear heavens......//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Digital "D"-livers great SQ. That's how the two are associated with each other. It has nothing to do with design and topology. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

[FONT=&amp]Class D[/FONT][FONT=&amp] amplifiers are of the switching variety. Technically they are Pulse Width Modulated switching power supplies where the modulation is the audio signal. Typically a high frequency carrier (50KHz-500KHz) is converted to a triangle waveform. This triangle waveform is fed into a comparator together with the incoming audio signal. The resultant PWM waveform is fed into an output stage which alternately switches either the positive switches on or negative switches on depending on the polarity of the incoming waveform. Since the Mosfet switches are either on or off, their efficiency is close to 100% but not quite there! Losses in the Mosfets are due to their finite on resistance and the losses which occur during their transition from off to on and back to off states. The high frequency pulse train must then be demodulated back to an analog form in order that the loudspeaker can reproduce it. This is done with a passive L-C filter whose cut off frequency is normally higher than the highest audio frequency the amplifier is being asked to reproduce. So in a 20Hz-20KHz amplifier a 25-30KHz cut off filter would be used. Feedback is nearly always implemented to get the distortion low, the output impedance low and the noise low.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]http://www.zedaudiocorp.com/Technical/Amplifier-Classes.htm[/FONT]

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[FONT=&amp]Were is the world "digital" mentioned above?[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp] [/FONT]

 

[c_james_s 10+ year member]

"Digital" (class D) amplifiers use a technology that produces a sine wave with the peak and the trough cut flat. So if you use it for full range audio there will be audible distortion compared to other designs. However, the boards are designed so they draw less current so they don't get hot or require as heavy a power feed. They are ideal for powering sub woofers because at those frequencies the human ear cannot discern the distortion in the sine waves.

thanks.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Analog's where it's at, dawg. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

Truth //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

thanks.

Don't thank him.

That statement was hogwash.

There are plenty of full range class D amplifiers on the market that will be audibly indistinguishable from any other topology.